Do superhero comic books and related media still exist in the 22nd-24th centuries?

Why read a comic book if your kid if you can go play it out on a holodeck. I think all escapism art has most likely gone away and now happens on holodecks but you still get serious stuff still made. That and lots of imported entertainment from other alien worlds.



Jason

 

Jake is seen reading a Hornblower book in DS9. Much as I love Hornblower, it's not exactly high literature. Guess that means traditional books are still around.

 

Comic books are a whole lot more than just Spider-Man or Batman.

 

We have VR headsets now, but people still play "traditional" videogames on a screen.
Why? It's convenient. You can check your phone or hold a conversation with someone in the room while playing.

A holodeck would be fun for an occasional visit, but all that running around is a bit much.

 

Really? Oh wow. I never knew.

I'm guessing you like comic books and that's why you only quoted half of my post to try and "make a point" and neglected to quote the second part.

 

I’m sure comics are accessible in historical databases, just no longer produced en masse since corporations such as DC or Marvel are a TNG-era no-no. However, if an artist wanted to express themselves in comic book form, who is Picard to say no, so I’d imagine it’s more of an indie art form than an industry.

 

If there are people on Starfleet ships that create programs such as "captain Proton" I'd also think there would be some interest (even if only "niche") in superhero comics.

 

Strictly speaking, literature can refer to anything with writing on it. 10 years ago, I worked for a call center contacting shareholders of different companies for proxy votes and when I talked to them over the phone, they'd mention the information that was mailed to them. They'd call it the "literature" that was mailed out for them. Said literature was legalese written by lawyers.

If we're talking about setting a standard for what can be called literature, then who's standard are we going with? That's a slippery slope. Not everything is Christopher Marlowe or Jane Austen.

And it's all a tangent that was originally started by someone who was making a drive-by comment and whose only contribution was meant to ruffle feathers and isn't generally discussing anything he talks about on this board in good faith.

For the main topic: I agree that independent comics, that aren't driven by sales, would flourish. Artistic expression in general would be much more when it's not being driven by how much money it makes and people don't have to make money for a living.

 

Marauder Mok, and yes, he did exist.


As for what superhero characters might still be published in the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th centuries, the only one I think would still be published is.....Superman.

Why only Superman? Well, his fight spans centuries, as seen in a few stories (in particular one 1965 story about 'Klar Ken'), so it's possible that a version of Kal-El could exist in those centuries. Batman....I don't think so, his mission/fight only works in a 20th/21st century context of American cities having the particular kind of crime it did/does now that contributed to his parent's deaths and to him becoming Batman (maybe it could work in the context of a space colony [that failed] similar to Turxakana IV.) Wonder Woman could be retconned as being from another planet (or dimension) who decides to safeguard the universe and Earth despite it being what it is. The Flash and a ton of others? Somebody in those centuries would have to figure where they would fit in a future society like that of the UER (United Earth Republic) and UFP (perhaps the Legion of Super Heroes can be set up and work as published adventures somehow.)

 

Assuming that the characters would need to be updated in order for people in the 22nd to 24th centuries to relate to them is an odd assumption. People still read and write about Robin Hood, King Arthur, and the Three Musketeers today.

 

Those characters don't have stories/adventures set in the present, the DC and Marvel characters do. Therefore, any 'comic books' of the 22nd, 23rd and 24th centuries will have the characters I mentioned fit into the eras they're being published in.

 

Just was watching Cathexis in which there's this little snippet:

So we know there are holocomic books in that century. I'd say the step to superhero (holo)comic books would be a relatively small one.

 

Which I always found to be silly. No matter how much we "evolve" I doubt that we'll ever lose interest in sports or T.V. type entertainment. I highly doubt that humans in the future are just sitting around in their off time reading tablets or playing on the holodeck.

Comics have certainly changed over the years and like magazines aren't as popular as they use to be thanks to the internet. But I still like checking them out on occasion just to see where they've gone with it. Heck, the artwork alone is worth the price. Now if only they can put more pages in...

 

They might have comics but they are all about Shakesphere done in comic forum or classical musicians dealing with the daily strife of being a artist. Their Avengers are when Shakesphere.Mozart,Sherlock Holmes team up to put on a great concert and Holmes has to solve the mystery of who stole one if their bi-focals in time before the concert/play is to start.


Jason

 

You're missing my point. All of those characters were set in the "present", or close to it, when they were first introduced.

 

In a Utopia with no money, and no crime, what does a either a billionaire or a vigilante have to do with themselves but sit on their thumbs.

 

I'm sure it's not that kind of utopia as Roddenberry outlined when he soft-rebooted Star Trek, but yeah, in a future like the one implied on Earth in the show and shown in Star Trek Into Darkness, I have a hard time seeing a superhero like Batman thrive. As I said, a failed colony like Turkana IV or this colony would be a place where a Batman/Batwoman/Red Hood/Nightwing would/could be created if the circumstances are bad enough.

 

Hey, don't forget all the amateur theater and classical music recitals. Who needs TV?

 

True, but probably Robin Hood or King Arthur in a 21st century story is not portrayed quite the same as in a 17th century one. You don't have to give them automatic rifles to give away the fact that the story is from our time. For example, probably the exact way the story focuses on their inner conflicts, their sensibilities in the story, and so on, would already give that away for a good observer. (Not saying that a 17th century doesn't have this, but fashions in storytelling change).

If the Enterprise D is an "average" ship (in terms of crew behaviour), then yes. If DS9 is "average", then no.

 

Yes, but the Wayne's were killed in a Romulan attack on Khitomer.